I got a late start today. Two companies agreed to let me do audits, bringing my total for the trip up to seven. But it meant I didn't leave Billings until early afternoon, to make the 11 hour journey to Sioux Falls.
So guess where I went today...
Totally over-rated. Terribly disappointing. Not worth the 30-minute drive out of my way to see. Positively not worth the $10 admission fee (no, they didn't honor my National Access Card which supposedly gets me into every single national park, forest, monument, and every other site run by the federal government, but here the lady said, "we are a concessionaire and don't have to honor the passes. Ten dollars please." The carving is visible only from one little tiny part of a valley, and they have constructed artificial hills to hide it from the road, so to see it you have to pay, and then park and walk half a mile to the overlook. And after all that, the carving is on the east side of the mountain, which means that anytime after about 1 pm, you are staring into the sun to see the figures. And the statues aren't really that big after all, especially compared to the Stone Mountain monument in Georgia. The snack bar wanted $6.50 for a hot dog, and $4. 75 for a small Pepsi (no Cokes, even!). I passed on the eats. And the coup de grace: the little town of Keystone, the closest settlement anywhere near Mount Rushmore, is not only a tourist trap which would make the Florida Alligator Farms look classy, it's a speed trap, too, on a six-lane divided highway with speed limit of 65 which goes to 25 about 100 feet from where ten cops were waiting, six writing tickets. Of course, I never speed, so I was doinig 25, although it meant I had to slam on my brakes so hard all the stuff in the back seat went flying onto the floor. (Town of Keystone. Cops. Keystone Cops. The irony is not lost on me!) Three words come to mind: Rip Off Extraordinaire.
If you get the chance to see Mount Rushmore, pass. Or at least let me say, I told you so.
The weather is still amazingly nice. And I haven't yet hit any deer, antelope, buffalo, prairie dogs, or even any jackrabbits! ... although there are thousands upon thousands of those animals dead along the interstate. Enough to feed the entire state of West Virginia for a month!
Totally over-rated. Terribly disappointing. Not worth the 30-minute drive out of my way to see. Positively not worth the $10 admission fee (no, they didn't honor my National Access Card which supposedly gets me into every single national park, forest, monument, and every other site run by the federal government, but here the lady said, "we are a concessionaire and don't have to honor the passes. Ten dollars please." The carving is visible only from one little tiny part of a valley, and they have constructed artificial hills to hide it from the road, so to see it you have to pay, and then park and walk half a mile to the overlook. And after all that, the carving is on the east side of the mountain, which means that anytime after about 1 pm, you are staring into the sun to see the figures. And the statues aren't really that big after all, especially compared to the Stone Mountain monument in Georgia. The snack bar wanted $6.50 for a hot dog, and $4. 75 for a small Pepsi (no Cokes, even!). I passed on the eats. And the coup de grace: the little town of Keystone, the closest settlement anywhere near Mount Rushmore, is not only a tourist trap which would make the Florida Alligator Farms look classy, it's a speed trap, too, on a six-lane divided highway with speed limit of 65 which goes to 25 about 100 feet from where ten cops were waiting, six writing tickets. Of course, I never speed, so I was doinig 25, although it meant I had to slam on my brakes so hard all the stuff in the back seat went flying onto the floor. (Town of Keystone. Cops. Keystone Cops. The irony is not lost on me!) Three words come to mind: Rip Off Extraordinaire.
If you get the chance to see Mount Rushmore, pass. Or at least let me say, I told you so.
The weather is still amazingly nice. And I haven't yet hit any deer, antelope, buffalo, prairie dogs, or even any jackrabbits! ... although there are thousands upon thousands of those animals dead along the interstate. Enough to feed the entire state of West Virginia for a month!
3 comments:
Faraday says she misses you.
Been there, done that, it is super cool huh? My kids haven't see it though, so I guess I got to go.
What is that last comment supposed to mean? lol!
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